College notebook: Josie McKee chasing national diving berth

A strong start to the season has Josie McKee setting her sights on the NCAA Division II Championships in March — and a return to Ohio. Also see other updates of area athletes participating in college sports.

A strong start to the season has Josie McKee setting her sights on the NCAA Division II Championships in March — and a return to Ohio.

The sophomore from Jackson High School is a standout diver with the University of West Florida women’s swim team. At the recent Emory (Ga.) Diving Invitational, McKee earned the right to compete in the qualifier prior to the NCAA Championships in both the one-meter (407.30) and three-meter (421.40) dives.

And last weekend at the three-day Delta State Christmas Invitational in Cleveland, Miss., she bettered both those marks — winning the one-meter with a pool-record 452.29 and the three-meter with a 462.60.

“It’s exciting to have a diver qualify this early in the season,” diving coach Barbara Parker said. “Josie has been working hard and is getting to see her efforts pay off. She will continue to train hard, but it’s great to know that she is already ahead of the game.”

Coach Andrew Hancock knows why McKee is enjoying success.

“Her diving has improved tremendously under the direction of coach Parker, who has been the best diving coach in our region for the past 15 years,” Hancock said. “Based on what she’s done so far, Josie has a chance to join the national meet proper and compete for All-America honors.”

The NCAA Championships are March 12 through 15 at the Spire Institute in Geneva, less than two hours from Canton.

Dotson learning the ropes

Freshman Aaliyah Dotson (Central Catholic) has played in all eight games and started four for the 6-2 Florida Atlantic women’s basketball team. The Owls have won six straight after season-opening losses to Akron and Ohio State.

Dotson, a 5-foot-6 guard, is averaging 6.8 points with 19 rebounds, nine steals, five assists and three blocked shots. She scored a season-high 18 points in 25 minutes in a 120-43 victory over Florida Memorial, and 10 points in an 81-78 win over Cleveland State.

“Making the jump from high school to Division I basketball is always a tough transition, but I think Aaliyah has done a great job,” coach Kellie Lewis-Jay said. “Her ability to play full-court pressure defense has helped us tremendously. That is her role for us this year, and she has really bought into that and grown over the past few weeks. I look forward to seeing continued improvement in all aspects of her game over the course of this year.”

Vaudrin fits right in

Freshman Chaese Vaudrin (Lake) is the second-leading scorer (13.3) for the 4-5 Geneva (Pa.) men’s basketball team. He was named Male Student-Athlete of the Week after scoring a season-high 29 points in an 81-76 loss to Thiel. He followed that with a team-high 19 points in a 73-68 victory over PSU-Altoona. And, prior to that, he had 20 points in an 89-81 win over Hiram. The 6-3 guard also is averaging 4.3 rebounds with a team-high 29 assists and five steals.

Page 2 of 3 - “Chaese has had an incredible start,” coach Jeff Santarsiero said. “He has adapted to the college game quicker than we both anticipated. So much of the college game is dribble penetration, and Chaese does that very well. He has also adapted to the physical nature of the game and he continues to get stronger. He will definitely be a force down the road.”

Marcelli honored

Case Western Reserve freshman Luke Marcelli (Jackson) was recently named the University Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week. He earned the award going 6-1 en route to a third-place finish in the 149-pound class at the RIT Invitational in Rochester, N.Y.

Marcelli took a 13-3 record into the exam break.

“Luke came to Case with good credentials and a lot of potential,” said head coach Mark Hawald, who is in his first year at Case Western after a successful run as the coach at Mount Union. “He has been working hard and that’s why he’s 13-3 as a freshman.”

Hawald said that Marcelli’s goal is to qualify for the nationals and be an All-American.

“Whether that happens this year or a few years down the road depends on his willingness to keep working hard, make adjustments and listen to his coaches,” Hawald said.

The Spartans return to the mat Dec. 29-30 for the Citrus Invitational in Fort Lauderdale.

Malone solid again

Junior Kevin Malone (Carrollton) was 25-12 as a freshman and 18-10 as a sophomore for the Tennessee-Chattanooga wrestling team, but coach Heath Eslinger feels that the 285-pounder is really hitting his stride this season.

In recent meets, Malone finished fourth in the Navy Classic with a 5-2 record, won a solid 3-0 decision in a 21-15 loss to nationally-ranked Purdue, and won a 7-4 decision in a 35-3 win over Gardner-Webb last Monday.

“I think this is the first year where Kevin has really realized his potential and stature,” Eslinger said. “I think he’s just now realized how massive and athletic he is at his weight class. The past two weeks he has seen how much ability he has to score points on guys at heavyweight.”

Malone has come a long way, according to the coach.

“Kevin didn’t come to us as a pure wrestler, but I think he is starting to realize the work he puts in is for his wrestling, not his weight lifting or his conditioning. The ultimate goal is his wrestling and I think Kevin is beginning to see the focus of that work pay dividends on the mat.”

McKinney bounces back

Page 3 of 3 - After sitting out last season as a redshirt, junior Tabby McKinney (Canton South) is back playing with the Shawnee State women’s basketball team. The 5-8 guard has played in all 11 games off the bench for the 6-5 Bears and is averaging 2.5 points and 5.6 rebounds with 16 assists and 11 steals. Two years ago, she led the team in assists (116) and averaged 6.2 points and 6.2 rebounds a game.

“Tabby brings intensity and leadership to our team,” coach Jeff Nickel said. “She is a great defensive player and is a vocal leader.”

The coach thinks that sitting out last season has helped McKinney.

“Tabby has grown into a more mature and knowledgeable basketball player,” Nickel said. “She understands our system and what needs to occur in order for us to be successful. I feel she does a better job now of creating for her teammates and continues to work on her range as a shooter. She is very ambitious and strives to excel and fill any void on our team.”ﾟ